A question this week asked if it was OK to use our Spirit Stains on MDF. I assumed this was bare (i.e not veneered) MDF, and the answer is a tentative yes. This substrate is very absorbent, so finishing it is always a challenge. The stains will soak in very easily, but the real problem is that the MDF sucks out the vibrancy from the stains, making them a bit muted. As long as that’s an acceptable trade-off, there’s no problem.

Part two of that question asked if using the liquid Acrylic Sanding Sealer followed by the Acrylic Gloss Lacquer was a good combination. Allowances need to be made for applying these to MDF; it’s going to take a lot more work to get a good finish, or even to get a high level of protection. Much of them will soak straight in. But the main concern for me was mixing these products. They are very similar in their make-up, but not exactly the same. In most situations, one can follow the other without any problems, but for certainly we recommend sticking with the same application system – either using the brushing sealer/lacquer all the way through, or the spray ones.

Talking of the spray lacquers, here’s a question that pops up every so often, especially at demos and the like. Is it necessary to invert them and spray, to clear the nozzle? We’d say ‘no’. There’s no harm in doing so if you want, but we use a top quality nozzle (yes, there are different grades!) which is chosen to match the product going through it. I don’t want to say they never block up, but it is extremely rare that this happens. So, it’s very much a matter of personal choice, but is by no means essential.